Sewing-machine.



`J, E. MILLER.

SEWING MACHINE.

^ APPLICATION FILED MAR.16, 1908. l 91 8 1 SLL Patented Apr. 13, 1909. 5 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

J. E. MILLER. SEWING MAGHINE.

APPLIUATION FILED MAR. 16, 1908.

918,184. Patented A131113, 1909,

-6 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

1HE Noimls PETERS cd, wAsmNmaN. n. c.

J. E. MILLER.

SEWING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION :FILED 111111.16, 1908.

Patented Apr. 13, 1909.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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A350/lacy J. E. MULLER(A SEWING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 16, '1908.

Patented Apr. 13, 1909.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 4;

YH: NoRRls PETERS co., wAsHlNcraN. D. c.

J. E. MILLER.

SEWING MACHINE.

PPLIOATION FILED 15113.16, 190e.

918,184. Patented Apr; 13, 1909.

5 SHEETS-BEEET 5.

rHE'NaRRIs PETERS co.. wAsHINaraN. n. c.

JESSE E. MILLER, OF KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE.

SE WING-MACHINE Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 13, 1909.

Application led March 16, 1908. Serial No. 421,433.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, Jnssn E. MILLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Knoxville, in the county ol' Knox and State oi Tennessee, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Sewing Machines, ol which the following is a speciiication, reference being had to the accompanying drawing.

My improvement relates articularly to sewing machines l'or closing lled bags, such bags being closed by sewing across the upper end instead oil tying suchend.

The object ci' the invention is to provide such sewing machine with mechanism for guiding and conveying bags of varying sizes to the sewing head, in order that the bags ol varying sizes may be filled and indiscriminately placed upon such conveyingl and guiding mechanism, and by the latterproperly presented to the sewing head.

The present improvement is a modification oi' the apparatus made the subject-matter oi' an application Serial No. 466,651, filed by me in the United States Patent @iii ce December 16, 1907.

ln the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a general plan of an apparatus embodying my improvement, portions being broken away, Fig. 2 is an upright section on the line 2-2 o1 Fig. 1, looking in the direction or' the arrow, Fig. 3 is a larger detail plan oi' the mechanism shown in the lel't hand portion ol' Fig. 1,. portions being broken away Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1, lcolring in the direction ci the arrow Fig. 5 is an elevation o'll the lower portion ci' the mechanism shown in Fig. 4, looking toward the right; Fig. 6 is a sectional detail elevation oil a controlling crank; Fig. 7 is a detail plan oi' the saine crank Fig. 8 is a detail elevation, partially in section, ci' a cam wheel; Fig. 9 is a section on the line 9-9 of 8; Fig. l() is a section on the line 10-10 ol F 2, lool:- ing in the direction oi the arrow; Fig. 11 is a detail plan oi' a hinge by which two sections ci the conveyer frame are united; Fig. 12 is a detail plan ol' mounting of one oi' the drums or rollers whereon the endless conveyor belt is carried; Figs. 13 and 14 are detail views illustrating a modification oi' a crank struc ture which may be substituted l'or a cam structure 'for the control the shiitableend oi' the conveyor; Figs. 15 and 16 illustrate a brake applied to the cam shifting mechanism.

By way oll general statement, it may be said that the apparatus illustrated by said drawings comprises (l) a frame-work supporting a sewing head set in position i'or sewing a fabric passing said head in an u right plane, (2) mechanism for driving t e sewing mechanism, and (3) relatively long conveying mechanism extending from one or a plurality oi bag-hlling stations or machines to the sewing mechanism from which iilling stations or machines filled bags ol' varying sizes are indiscriminately placed upon said conveying mechanism and by the latter carried to the sewing mechanism.

A. designates the frame supporting the setting head, B.

C represents the conveyor.

D, D, D are bag-iilling stations or machines.

The frame, A, has four upright standards, 1 a horizontal table portion, 2, a head standard, 3, mounted upon the front portion of said table, 2, and supporting the head, B, having the depending outer arm, 4, and inner arm, 5, which correspond, respectively, to the ordinary upper and lower arm or base plate oi ordinary forms of sewing machines.

For the driving of the sewing mechanism the usual band wheel, 6, receives a band, 7, extending around said wheel and around two guide wheels, 8, on the head standard, 3, and thence' around a grooved wheel, 9, on the rorizontal shaft, 10, under the table, 2. Said shaft, 10, is driven by a belt, 11, from a band wheel, 12, on the horizontal power shaft, 13, mounted in bearings, 14, in the rear frame standards, 1, 1. On said shaft, 13, is a fixed pulley, 15, and a loose pulley, 16, to receive a power belt, E, arranged for shifting by a hand lever, L. Y

ln the form shown in the drawings, said conveyor, C, is constructed as follows: Parallel horizontal base bars, 17, support standards, 18, which in turn support at their upper ends cross pieces, 19, upon which rest a middle relatively wide board, 20, a front strip, 21, and a rear rising strip, 22. At the foot end (the end the farther from the sewing mechanism) of the frame thus formed is a roller or band wheel, 23, having bearings in the sliding U-shape yoke, 24, con'lined between the base bars, 1.7, and bars, 25, arranged parallel to said bars, 17. From said .yoke a screw-shaft, 26, extends through a nut, 27, which bears against the face of a cross-bar, 28, between said cross-bar and said wheel, 23, said cross-bar being secured to the base bars, 17. By turning said nut in the roper direction, said screw-shaft, yoke, and

and wheel may be moved away from or toward the sewing mechanism. l/Vithin ten or fifteen feet of the frame, A, the said conveyor frame is provided with a horizontal hinge. -For such hinging of said frame, all the horizontal frame pieces are cut transversely and oblique standards, 29, are secured to the head ends of the base bars, 17, at one side of said cut, and ears, 30, rise from said base bars at the other side of said cut and are joined to said oblique standards by a shaft or pintle, 31, extending horizontally through said ears and said standards. 'l'hus the conveyer frame comprises a fixedsection and a hinged section.

Upon the head ends of the base bars, 17 are seated bearings, 32, in which is journaled the shaft, 33, of a band wheel, 34, which is of approximately the same size as the band Wheel, 23, at the foot end of the conveyor. An endless conveyer belt, 35, extends the full length of said conveyer frame and around the band wheels, 23 and 34. Between said wheels, the upper portion of said belt rests slidably upon the middle boards, 20, of the conveyor frame; and the lower ortion of said belt extends between the base ars, 17, of said frame. The tension of said belt may be varied by shifting the wneel, 23, at the foot end of the conveyer.

An anti-friction roller, 36, is placed beneath the conveyer belt, 35, in bearings, 37, on the bars, 17, of the conveyor frame. Said roller serves to lift the lower portion of said belt away from the roller, 53, to be hereinafter described. On the rear end of the shaft, 33, is a sprocket wheel, 38, which receives a sprocket chain, 39, which also surrounds a sprocket wheel, 40, on the horizontal shaft, 41, resting in bearings, 42. Gn said shaft is a worm gear wheel, 43, which is engaged by a worm, 44, on the power shaft, 13. A fender, 45, is supported above the rear portion of the conveyor frame by stands ards, 46, rising from the rear portion of said frame. The function of said fender is to support bags which lean rearward so far that they tend to fall.

To facilitate the upward and downward movement of the free end ofthe hinged section of the conveyer, said section may be counter-balanced in any suitable manner. In the form shown in the drawings, this is accomplished by means of a yoke or bail, a cord, two guide pulleys, and a counterweight. The bail, 47, spans the conveyor frame and is secured thereto by bolts, 43. The cord, 49, extends over the guide rollers, 50, and has one end attached to said bail while the other end is attached to the counter-weight, 51. But this merely approximately` counter-balances the conveyor and leaves the weight of the bags to he lifted when the conveyer is raised or lo `ver ad. Gpposite the free end of the hinged section of the conveyor frame there is a floor opening, 52, for the passage of the sewed after they leave the conveyer.

Vin the machine described in my a`l ove mentioned. application, the mechanism for raising and lowering the free frame section of the conveyer provides for the lifting of the weight by the strength ofthe attendant. ln the present machine, I have embodied power mechanism for raising and lowering said movable frame section, and said mechanism is put into and out of action by a mechanism controlled by the attendant through a hand crank. Thus the attendant does not lift any portion of the weight of said frame section or of the bags resting thereon. fr roller, 53, is mounted between the side rails, 17, 17, in bearings, 54. Beneath said roller and in engagement therewith is a cani, 55, mounted upon the front end of a shaft, 56, resting in bearings, 57 and 58, 58, the latter beinO at each side of a gear casing, 59. Between the bearings, 58, 53, and within the gear casing, 59, is a worm gear wheel, 6i), surrounding said shaft, 56, and above said worin gear wheel is a worm, 61, on a horizontal shaft, 62, resting in bearings, 63, formed in part by the gear casing, The portion of the gear casing above the shaft, 56, is cast integral with and thus supported by the horizontal frame member, 64.

On one end of the shaft, 62, is a spur gear, 65, which meshes with another spur gear wheel, 66, loosely surrounding the shaft, 13, and embodying a clutch member, 67. Beside said spur gear wheel, 66, is a clutch member, 68, slidably surrounding said shaft, 13, and pressed toward said spur gear wheel, 66, by an expanding coiled spring, 69. Beneath. the shaft, 13, is a transverse horizontal rock shaft, 70, resting in a hearing, 71, in a hanger, 72, and in a bearing, 73, formed in a bracket, 74, and from said rock shaft, 70, rises a forked arm, 75, engaging the clutch member, 63. and on the shaft, 56, is mount ed a drum-form cam wheel, 76, having in its perimeter four grooves, 77. On the shaft, 70, is a rigid arm, 73, forked at its upper end and supporting a shaft, 79, within said fork. On said shaft, 79, is a small loose roller, SO, which may be shifted lengthwise upon said shaft by means of a shift rod, 81, having iin gers, S2, at opposite sides of said roller, 80. Said shift rod extends through a bearing, 83, on the bracket, 7 4, and the opposite end of said shift rod is coupled to an arm, 84, on an upright rock shaft, 85, resting in a lower bearing, 86, and an upper bearing, 87, and

llt)

siens/i having at its upper end, j ust above the table, 2, a hand crank, 88. In the lowerportionof said hand crank is an upright aperture, 89, in which is a pin, 90, above which is an expanding coiled spring, 91, by which said pin is pressed downward to the table. in the table are four small shallow recesses, Q2, in which said pin may engage. rlhe lower end of said pin is made obtusely conical so that it may readily slide out of said recesses when the crank is pressed laterally. By means of said pin and said recesses, said crank may be set in any one of four positions, whereby the small roller, 80, is brought ab'ove a co 1responding groove, 77, in the cam wheel, 76. ln each of said grooves on said cam wheel are apertures, There are two such apertures in each of the first three of said grooves counting from the front and only one in the rear of said grooves. Through each such aperture extends a binding bolt, 94, bearing upon a washer, 95, and entering an oblong tooth or block, 96, having its base resting in the adjacent groove, said bolt being screwthreaded into said tooth. By this means, each such tooth is clamped in said groove by the one bolt, and the wall at each side of the groove prevents the lateral turning of the tooth. The radial distribution of said teeth bears a fixed relation to the cam, 55, which, as above described, is secured rigidly to the opposite end of the shaft, 56, which supports said cam wheel, 76. lt is to be observed that the grooves, 77, are formed in said cam wheel merely for the purpose of facilitating the placing of the teeth or blocks, 96. And it is also to be observed that said cam wheel might be cast or otherwise formed having said teeth integral therewith. And it is to be observed further that said cam wheel is a multiple or complex cam having engaging extensions in four planes, the teeth, 96, being such extensions. fnd as a preliminaryT to the explanation of the operation of said compound cam, it is to be observed that each of said teeth is adapted to pass under the roller, S0, and raise the latter, and the arm, 7 8, and tilt the rock shaft, 70, and move the clutch arm, 75, and the clutch member, 68, away from the clutch member, 67, whereby the spur gear, 66, and the worm, 6l, are put to rest. Thus the shaft, 56, the cam, 55, and the cam wheel, 76, cease to rotate. ln other words, so long as the roller or wheel, 80, is not resting upon one of the teeth, 96, the clutch member, 66, is in engagement and the shaft, 56, and the cam wheel, 76, are in rotation; but as soon as one of said teeth passes beneath the roller, 86, said clutch is disengaged and the shaft, 56, and the parts thereto connected cease rotation (unless carried forward by momentum) and are bound or locked by the engagement between the worm, 61, and the worm gear wheel, 60. When the shaft, 56, is to be again set into motion for the turning of the cam, 55, into a new position, the clutch member, 68, is allowed to be pushed into engagement by the spring, 69, by shifting the roller, 80, laterally until it slips on" from the tooth, 96, upon which. it then rests and bears upon the surface of the cam wheel, 7 6. The face of said roller is a little wider than the width of the grooves, 77 so that said roller does not enter said grooves. When said roller has been thus shifted, the shaft, 56, will continue to rotate until another tooth, 96, is forced beneath the roller, 80.

lt will nov..T be understood that the shaft, 56, and the cam, 55, may be stopped at any desired. point by the proper placing of a tooth, 96, on the perimeter of the cam Wheel, 76. For stopping said cani when its smallest radius is above the shaft, 56, a tooth, 96, is so placed as to be between the shaft, 56, `and the shaft, 7 Q, ofthe roller, 80. For stopping the cam when its longest radius is above the shaft, 56, another tooth is so placed as to stand between said shafts when said long radius is above said shaft, 56. And in the same manner a tooth, 96, may be set for stopping the cam in any other portion of its rotation. Provision is made for stopping the cam in any number of i ositions. ln the machine shown by the drawings, provision is made for four different elevations of the cani, whereby the free section of the conveyor may be put into any one of four positions. And it is to be observed that the cam, 55, is really double 5 that one-half thereof would be sufficient for operation. The stops at the desired elevations (excepting tie highest andthe lowest) can be made on either side of the cam shoufn, and for such stops between the lowest am the highest a double number of teeth, 96, are placed upon the eam uf'heel, 76. The cani wheel illustrated by Figs. 5 and 8 of the drawings is formed for setting the cam, 55, into four positions, one of which is the lowest position of which the cam is capable, and the other three of which are intermediate b 'een such lowest and the highest position of which the cam, 55, is capable.

The line, F-F, in 8 co-incidcs ith a line extending through the shafts, 79 and 56, in Fig. 5,: and thc tooth, 96, in said line, F-F, in the upper portion of the wheel in Fig. S stands for the lov-vest position of which the cam, 55, is capable, and since there is only one such point on the cam, 55, only one tooth, 66, serve for suon posit .i. it each side of the tooth, 96, -which is in said line, F-F, and equi-distant from said tooth, is ane-ther tooth, 96. liither of the two last mentioned teeth may be brought beneath the roller, S0, for the disengaging of the clutch member, 68, v-Jhen the cani, 55, is turned into proper position for a certain los elevation, of the free end of the conveyer. A little farther from each side of the teeth in said line, F-F, and equi-distant from said tooth is another tooth, either of which is adapted for engagement beneath the roller, 80, for the disengaging of the clutch member, 68. And still farther away from each side of said tooth in said line, .lf-l", and equi-distant from said tooth is another' tooth, 96, either of which may engage said roller, 80, for the disengaging of the clutch member, 68, for turning the cam into proper position for the lifting of the free end of the conveyer to the desired height.

The respective teeth, 96, for the four positions above noted are placed into distinct. grooves in the cam wheel, 76, and. the roller, 80, may be shifted into the plane of either of said grooves and the tooth or teeth applied to said grooves. Hence when it is desired that said roller shall be engaged by the tooth or teeth, 96, standing for any particular elevation of the cam, 55, the shift rod, 81, is moved endwise to bring said roller, 80, into such plane. The connection between said shift rod and the crank, 88, has already been explained. Each particular recess, 92, beneath said crank stands for one of said four planes or grooves of the cam wheel, 76, and the crank is shifted from one of said recesses to the other to bring the roller, 80, into the desired plane on said cam wheel, 76.

'For promptly neutralizing the momentum of the spur gear wheels, 66 and 65, and the shaft, 62, and the other parts connected operatively with said shaft, a grooved brake wheel, 97, may be fixed upon the shaft, 62, adjacent the spur gear wheel, 65, (see Figs. 15 and 16) and a brake strap, 98, secured by one end to the horizontal frame member, 64, and by its other end, after passing beneath the brake Wheel attached to an upright reeiprocatory bar, 99, the lower end of which is coupled to an approximately horizontal arm, 109, on the roch shaft, 70, said arm being at the side of the rock shaft, 70, toward the shaft, 56. Said brake strap and said reciprocatory bar, 99, are so adjusted as that when the forked arm, 78, rises by the rocking of said rock shaft, 70, the arm, 100, will promptly lift said reciprocatory bar, 99, and cause the latter to draw the brake strap against the lower face of the brake wheel, 97, so that when the arm, 7 S, again descends, the rock shaft will turn in the reverse direction and cause the lowering of the arm, 100, and reciprocatory bar, 99, and the consequent release of the brake strap.

ln operation, bags are filled at any desired number of bag-'hlling stations or machines, D, and the bags are set upright upon the conveyer, C, at points on the latter most convenient to said stations. Said bags are set upon the conveyer with sufficient force to cause the flattening of their lower portions so as to form a base adapting the bag to stand upright without support. In such position each bag is carried toward the sewing head, and the attendant at said mechanism operates the crank, 88, for the raising or lowering of the hinged section of the conveyer as may be necessary by variations in the height of the bags on the conveyer, and said attendant gives such assistance as may be necessary to the sewing operation, as, for example, the drawing of the mouth of the bag parallel to the line of travel and guiding said mouth between the arms of the sewing head. After passing said sewing head, the bag falls over the adjacent end of the conveyer and through the floor opening, 52, upon any conveying mechanism adapted to convey sewed bags to places for storage or upon cars or wagons.

l claim as my invention:

1. ln an apparatus of the nature described, a sewing head, a conveyer extending beneath said head, power-driven mechanism for changing the relative elevation of said conveyer and said sewing head, and mechanism controlled by the operator for controlling said power-driven mechanism, substantially as described.

2. ln an apparatus of the nature described, a sewing head, a conveyer extending beneath said head, powerdriven mechanism for changing the elevation of said conveyer, and mechanism controlled by the operator for controllin(T said power-driven mechanism, substantially as described.

3. ln an apparatus of the nature described, a sewing head, a conveyer comprising a hinged section extending beneath said head, power-driven mechanism for changing the elevation of said hinged section, and mechanism for controlling said power-driven mechanism, substantially as described.

il. In an apparatus of the nature described, a sewing head, a conveyer extending beneath said head, a counter-balance applied to said conveyor, powerdriven mechanism for changing the elevation of said conveyer, and mechanism controlled by the operator for controlling said power-driven mechanism, substantially as described.

5. ln a machine of the nature described, a sewing head, a conveyer comprising a hinged section extending beneath said head, a counter-balance applied to said hinged section, power-driven mechanism for changing the relative elevation of said hinged section and said sewing head, and mechanism for controlling said power-driven mechanism, substantially as described.

6. In an apparatus of the nature described, a sewing head, a conveyer extending beneath said head and comprising an endless belt, power-driven mechanism for changing the relative elevation of said con- "'veyer andsaid sewing head, and mechanism controlled by the operator for controlling saidpower-,driyen mechanism, substantially as described.

7. ln an apparatus of the nature described, a sewing head, a conveyor extending beneath said head andv comprising an endless belt, power-driven mechanism for changing the elevation of said conveyer, and mechanism controlled by the operator for controlling said power-driven mechanism, substantially as described.

8. In an apparatus of the nature described, a sewing head, a conyeyer extending beneath said head and com )rising a hinged section and an endless bellt, power-driven mechanism for changing the elevation of said hinged section, and mechanism for controlling said power-driven mechanism, substantially as described.

9. In an apparatus of the nature described, a sewing head, a conyeyer extendinO' beneath said head, a power-driven shaft,

a lifting member on said shaft in engagement with said conyeyer, and mechanism controlled by the operator for controlling said shaft, substantially as described.

10. In an apparatus of the nature described, a sewing head, a conveyer comprising a hinged section extending beneath said head, a power-driven shaft, a lifting member on said shaft in engagement with said hinged section, and mechanism for controlling said shaft, substantially as described.

11. In an apparatus of the nature described, a sewing head, a conveyer extending beneath said head, a counter-balance applied to said conveyer, a power-driven shaft, a lifting member on said shaft in engagement with said conyeyer, and mechanism controlled by the operator for controlling said shaft, substantially as described.

12. ln an apparatus of the nature described, a sewing head, aV conyeyer extending beneath said head and comprising an endless belt, a power-driven shaft, a lifting member on said shaft in engagement with said conyeyer, and mechanism controlled by the operator for controlling said shaft, substantially as described.

13. In an apparatus of the nature described, a sewing head, a conyeyer extending beneath said head, power-driven mechanism comprising a cam for changing the relative elevation of said conyeyer and said sewing head, and mechanism for controlling said power-driven mechanism, substantially as described.

lll. In an apparatus of the nature described, a sewing head, a conveyer extending beneath said head, power-driven mechanism comprising a cam for changing the elevation of said conveyer, and mechanism for controlling said power-driven mechanism, substantially as described.

ln an apparatus of. the nature described, a sewing head, a conyeyer com.- prising a hinged section extending beneath said dead, powerriven mechanism comprising a cam for changing the elevation of said hinged section, and mechanism for controlling said power-driven mechanism, substantially as described.

16. in an apparatus of the nature described, a sewing head, a conyeyer extending beneath said head, mechanism for raising and lowering said conveyer, a constantly-rotating power shaft, a clutch in operative relation with said power shaft, and mechanism for transmitting motion from said clutch to said raising and lowering mechanism, and mechanism for actuating said clutch, substantially as described.

17. In an apparatus of the nature described, a sewing head, a conyeyer extending beneath said head, mechanism for raisinO' and lowering said conveyer, a constantlyrotating power shaft, a clutch in operative relation with said power shaft, mechanism for transmitting motion from said clutch to said raising and lowering mechanism, and mechanism comprising a multiple cam for actuating said clutch, substantially as described. y

18. ln an apparatus of the nature described, a sewing head, a conveyer extending beneath said head, mechanism for raising and lowering said conveyer, a constantlymechanism for engaging said power-driven mechanism, and .mechanism for putting said power-driven mechanism into and out of action, substantially as described.

20. ln an apparatus of the nature described, a sewing head, a conyeyer extending beneath said head, power-driven mechanism for changing the elevation of said conyeyer, brake mechanism for engaging said power-driven mechanism, and mechanism for putting said power-driven mechanism into and out of action, substantially as described.

21. In an apparatus of the nature described, a sewing head, a conveyer comprising a hinged section extending .beneath 'in testimony Whereef fl have signed my said head, power-driven mechanism for name, in presence of two Witnesses, this 10 changing the elevation of said hinged sec- 11th day ci' March, in the year one th0ution, brake mechanism foy engaging said send nine hundred and eight.

5 power-driven mechanism, and mechanism M JESSE E. B/HLLER.

for putting said power-drlven mechanism Witnesses: Y into and ont of zic/mon, substantially as CYRUS linnn, g

described. H, R. GOFORTH. 

